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Monday, February 24, 2014

"Among My Klediments" by June Carter Cash (1979)

What can you possibly say about the woman who tamed Johnny
Cash? Before there was a Women’s Liberation Movement, June Carter was hitching
logs to traces, sowing crops, sewing clothes, and even pursuing a career in
show business as, first a comedienne, then as a singer. She even went to New York
to study and pursue a career on stage. This was not your typical girl from the
sticks. And she did it all while staying true to her Christian beliefs; which
given the times and places required of her work; was no easy achievement.

In this slim, less than 150 page book, June Carter Cash; of
the Carter Family fame, as in A.P. Carter, Mother Maybelle, and even a cousin
named Jimmy; writes unflinchingly of her own feelings of failure in her first 2
marriages before becoming Mrs. Cash in 1967. Without contradiction she talks
about how her own work schedule may have helped in the dissolution of those
relationships; the first of which brought her 2 daughters.

Her life before all that began in the hills of Virginia,
listening and playing music. Most of the music of the Carter family has its
roots in the traditional ballads and poems which came over with the settlers.
Since many couldn't read, they sang the verses, giving birth to Appalachian
music. A.P. Carter was just the guy who collected it all and wrote it down; as
well as played it.

Ms. Cash recounts her father’s struggle with alcohol and
also how his life was changed; as was the case with Johnny Cash years later; by
a strong relationship with Christ. This is one of those tricky subjects to work
into a book without coming off as too “preachy”. Some might find it offensive,
or uninteresting; but this is a large part; a very large part; of who she was,
and just as with Ricky Skaggs memoir, to leave out her faith would be to tell
an incomplete story.

Indeed, as a Jewish person long a fan of Both John and June Cash, I found her expressions of her religious faith to be both sincere
and informed. For instance; she considered herself to be a Seventh Day
Adventist Baptist Methodist Pentecostal Jew. She believed in the 7th day as the
Sabbath and that she was an engrafted
Jew. (If you are unfamiliar with that last term then you should read Romans 11
in the New Testament. As a Jew I find that to be a major key in understanding
Christianity.) This is tantamount to saying that Jesus was a Jew, and by
extension all Christians are Jews; just as all Jews are Christians; and a
remarkable thing for a Born Again Christian to state.

Another part of the book which I found of particular
interest is the section dealing with her radio appearances in Charlotte on
radio station WBT in the early 1940’s. Mother Maybelle and her daughters sang
on the Grady Cole Show each morning. I’m trying to find some of those
recordings if they even exist. Her descriptions of the city are vibrant and much
more appealing than the corporate town which has developed in its place since
that era. WBT is still a Colossus of the South at 50,000 watts; though nowadays
you only get traffic and news in the morning. No more Mother Maybelle Carter.
And Grady Cole is a small venue stadium located south of “uptown”. Younger
people don’t even remember his name.

Her first meetings with Johnny Cash while working on tour
with him are really interesting. If you don’t know much about John and June
Cash beyond that movie which came out a couple of years ago, I’d recommend
reading this book for a more accurate account of their relationship. Her description
of Johnny walking the beach all night long is haunting; as it should be.

He was haunted at the time by demons that would only be
conquered by his love for Ms. Carter and his own religious faith. And when he
did decide to kick drugs he put up one hell of a fight. Ms. Cash describes it
as being the toughest battle Satan ever fought; and lost. You might laugh, but
this is some good writing! I was cheering for Johnny the whole time; literally.

Along the way this amazing woman becomes a member of the Grand Old Opry; only to resign later for spiritual reasons; and even meets and works with a young man named Chester Atkins, whom she has to teach to laugh on stage. He is just one of the many "royals" of country music with whom she has appeared over the years; and befriended in the bargain.

If you've already read Johnny Cash’s own autobiography I
hope that you will not dismiss this as just another book by a celebrity wife.
June Carter Cash was so much more than that. Don’t take my word for it; pick it
up and find out for yourself.

The video below is not the live performance I was looking for, but it's pretty good. It is a song about 2 people in love who each promise to wait for the other on the "far side of the Jordan". When June died before him she knew he'd be coming soon; just as he knew that she'd be waiting. And I have no doubt about that either.